Found Deceased WA - Cheryl DeBoer, 54, Mountlake Terrace, 8 February 2016 #1

[Stripehaven]

I think the placement of her body tells a lot. I think this wasn't a planned situation, I think the perpetrator(s) saw a woman alone, pulled up and grabbed her, took her to a nearby location that was remote at that time of the day (perhaps the park near her home) either robbed or sexually assaulted her or both and then quickly dumped her body in a nearby culvert. If this was a planned situation I think her body would've been hidden much better and much further away from where she disappeared. You can drive 30 minutes outside of Mountlake Terrace and be in some quite remote land.

But that text message to her friend. If it was real, then she got snatched and harmed and dumped in a very very short time. And people stream past that culvert area at commute time - the road is a feeder to I-5. (I have done it myself.) Maybe someone panicked and rolled her out of a car but the risk of being seen would have been high. There are houses across the street, too. Seems like a random perp would not have taken that chance and, as you say, headed out of town to somewhere more remote. Why the rush?

But if that text was fake, and everything was staged, then...that sounds like someone who knew her well.

 

[JanetElaine]

I found it and wanted to share a map. If it hasn't been released in MSM I guess I can't share the map. All the key places are extremely close together...the house, the park and ride, and where her body was found. Minutes away.

I'll go back in a bit to look for it, but Steelman has posted a map with all the locations, including her home, earlier in the thread. Good thinking because it's helpful to see it all together.

 

[JanetElaine]

But that text message to her friend. If it was real, then she got snatched and harmed and dumped in a very very short time. And people stream past that culvert area at commute time - the road is a feeder to I-5. (I have done it myself.) Maybe someone panicked and rolled her out of a car but the risk of being seen would have been high. There are houses across the street, too. Seems like a random perp would not have taken that chance and, as you say, headed out of town to somewhere more remote. Why the rush?

But if that text was fake, and everything was staged, then...that sounds like someone who knew her well.

Or someone held her for a while and did not place her there until later. We don't know how long the body has been there. It doesn't have to be placed there the day Cheryl disappeared.

Maybe the body hadn't been there long enough for anyone who passed to have seen it.... just speculating.

 

[otto]

I'll go back in a bit to look for it, but Steelman has posted a map with all the locations, including her home, earlier in the thread. Good thinking because it's helpful to see it all together.

Is this it?

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zAAmDUXJe_aE.knlZzA2tpxDE

I didn't make this map - I just happen to still have the link open. I'm not sure who to attribute it to.

 

[2Hope4]

Saddened. I'm glad I was wrong and Cheryl was found quickly. I don't think she put herself there, so may the investigation continue and lead to a conviction!

 

[MLTDD]

While that intersection does get quite a bit of traffic and has no on-street parking there is a pullout right near where the body was found.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JanetElaine]

Is this it?

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zAAmDUXJe_aE.knlZzA2tpxDE

I didn't make this map - I just happen to still have the link open. I'm not sure who to attribute it to.

Yes, thank you! Steelman made it.

 

[Native Pride]

But that text message to her friend. If it was real, then she got snatched and harmed and dumped in a very very short time. And people stream past that culvert area at commute time - the road is a feeder to I-5. (I have done it myself.) Maybe someone panicked and rolled her out of a car but the risk of being seen would have been high. There are houses across the street, too. Seems like a random perp would not have taken that chance and, as you say, headed out of town to somewhere more remote. Why the rush?

But if that text was fake, and everything was staged, then...that sounds like someone who knew her well.

What i dont understand is why the public hasn't been WARNED that there is a dangerous perp out on the loose im concerned if it is a pure stranger for the fact my mom walks everyday in the vicinity of Cheryl home as my sister lives right by Cheryl and my mother lives in the same exact vicinity Cheryl was found this concerns me as my mother-walks many times between those areas she does not drive never learned and also take my nephews to school daily by that park and ride and i feel they should tell the community there is a stranger on the loose with the Amy white lady missing and now found i asked my mom to please quit walking my nephews and the dog till we now more very scary to not now if any random person can target the community my mom is only 10 yrs older than Cheryl but looks younger ...hope we get answers soon rip Cheryl .....

 

[DatelineFan]

What i dont understand is why the public hasn't been WARNED that there is a dangerous perp out on the loose im concerned if it is a pure stranger for the fact my mom walks everyday in the vicinity of Cheryl home as my sister lives right by Cheryl and my mother lives in the same exact vicinity Cheryl was found this concerns me as my mother-walks many times between those areas she does not drive never learned and also take my nephews to school daily by that park and ride and i feel they should tell the community there is a stranger on the loose with the Amy white lady missing and now found i asked my mom to please quit walking my nephews and the dog till we now more very scary to not now if any random person can target the community my mom is only 10 yrs older than Cheryl but looks younger ...hope we get answers soon rip Cheryl .....

It's possible that LE has a good idea of who did this, and it's not necessary to warn the public. I don't think they would neglect to do so otherwise, but I could be wrong.

 

[katydid23]

Was her husband home at 7 am when she realized she didn't have her ID badge? I'd have probably called my hubby if I was in that position and he was home. I'd say 'pretty please can you bring me my badge cuz my ride is waiting….' It would be quicker for him to bring it then it would be for her to return hime and then come back again.

Or at the very least I would call him and rant that I forgot it and was heading back home for it. Whenever one of us has a major glitch or a change of routine---we call or text one another about it. Kind of odd that she didn't call him that morning when everything was falling apart for her.

 

[PLT]

I stepped away yesterday and was surprised to see the forum was moved. While many of us felt it was coming, this turn of events is horribly sad. No one should be treated this way and my heart aches for her family and loved ones.

I keep reading the one sentence that is in recent articles.... "Evidence indicated that DeBoer was in the area of her car at the time of her disappearance." And wonder what evidence and how close to the car? Was it a dropped item near the car ? Or the text ping location which could mean a wider area.

 

[Stripehaven]

It's possible that LE has a good idea of who did this, and it's not necessary to warn the public. I don't think they would neglect to do so otherwise, but I could be wrong.

I agree with this. LE took Cheryl's disappearance extremely seriously right away, yet despite massive local news coverage, I've seen no hint that the public needs to be cautious. But I will be relieved to get official confirmation, which I frankly expect to be soon.

ETA: It looks like the culvert runs under Cedar Way. I wonder if her body was back that far. That could account for her not being found sooner, and also would suggest a non-hasty disposal.


I just have trouble believing she was snatched during rush hour, right on a well-traveled residential street, without a witness. Anything is possible but I just don't see it. <modsnip>

I think it is odd that a Fred Hutch spokesperson publicly confirmed that she was found. Why not LE? I even saw one headline that said "Missing employee's body found." Odd.

 

[steelman]

I hope LE is able to establish a reliable time of death. Something about this crime scene seems a little off to me. I'm wondering if maybe she was being held somewhere until the heat got turned up too high.

It seems hard to believe that she could've been lying in that culvert for 6 full days without being noticed by passing motorists, cyclists, or joggers. Due to the ongoing search efforts, I would think that hundreds of both volunteer searchers and law enforcement personnel would've turned on to this main road many times during the last week, right at that intersection. Yes, there is a culvert there, but it doesn't look like a very deep culvert. Not to mention, this intersection is located very near a highly populated residential area. All of that traffic and nobody bothered to glance down into the culvert for over a week ?

If she got into a vehicle that morning with someone she knew, it is totally feasible that this same person could actually live right there in the neighborhood, or closeby, and most likely would.

There was a case here on Websleuths last year where a guy that worked at a legal massage business abducted and held a fellow coworker for well over a week inside his apartment. It was only after the police began coming around to question him that he murdered her and dumped her body in a wooded field. Apparently he tied her up, tortured her, and sexually assaulted her for about 10 days. None of the neighbors living in adjoining apartments heard or saw a thing. When she was found, it was established that she had only been dead for a couple of days, although she had vanished two weeks prior to being located.

I would think that in almost any case where an active search is going on for someone, all of the parties involved would be hyper-vigilant while driving up and down the roads searching for the missing person. This would include family members, volunteers, law enforcement, and the surrounding residents who were aware of the search. An area a little over a mile away in a virtual straight line from where her car was found, with a high volume of daily traffic, next to a busy intersection , was completely overlooked ?? It doesn't add up.

Map here:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zAAmDUXJe_aE.knlZzA2tpxDE

 

[Ontario Mom]

Was her husband home at 7 am when she realized she didn't have her ID badge? I'd have probably called my hubby if I was in that position and he was home. I'd say 'pretty please can you bring me my badge cuz my ride is waiting….' It would be quicker for him to bring it then it would be for her to return hime and then come back again.

Or at the very least I would call him and rant that I forgot it and was heading back home for it. Whenever one of us has a major glitch or a change of routine---we call or text one another about it. Kind of odd that she didn't call him that morning when everything was falling apart for her.

All the first rounds of MSM articles stated she was last seen by her husband around 7am, leaving for work. I don't know how many pressers there have been but during one of them, one reporter specifically asked if commander (whatever his name is, seems like a solid guy) could confirm that last seen date/time and he would not answer that question.

So, basically the answer is, we don't know if he was actually home or not.

 

[Elainera]

I hope LE is able to establish a reliable time of death. Something about this crime scene seems a little off to me. I'm wondering if maybe she was being held somewhere until the heat got turned up too high.

It seems hard to believe that she could've been lying in that culvert for 6 full days without being noticed by passing motorists, cyclists, or joggers. Due to the ongoing search efforts, I would think that hundreds of both volunteer searchers and law enforcement personnel would've turned on to this main road many times during the last week, right at that intersection. Yes, there is a culvert there, but it doesn't look like a very deep culvert. Not to mention, this intersection is located very near a highly populated residential area. All of that traffic and nobody bothered to glance down into the culvert for over a week ?

If she got into a vehicle that morning with someone she knew, it is totally feasible that this same person could actually live right there in the neighborhood, or closeby, and most likely would.

There was a case here on Websleuths last year where a guy that worked at a legal massage business abducted and held a fellow coworker for well over a week inside his apartment. It was only after the police began coming around to question him that he murdered her and dumped her body in a wooded field. Apparently he tied her up, tortured her, and sexually assaulted her for about 10 days. None of the neighbors living in adjoining apartments heard or saw a thing. When she was found, it was established that she had only been dead for a couple of days, although she had vanished two weeks prior to being located.

I would think that in almost any case where an active search is going on for someone, all of the parties involved would be hyper-vigilant while driving up and down the roads searching for the missing person. This would include family members, volunteers, law enforcement, and the surrounding residents who were aware of the search. An area a little over a mile away in a virtual straight line from where her car was found, with a high volume of daily traffic, next to a busy intersection , was completely overlooked ?? It doesn't add up.

Map here:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zAAmDUXJe_aE.knlZzA2tpxDE

I'm wondering whether something was put on top of her that would not raise eyebrows. Leaves, for example? Some branches? Also she could have pushed somewhat into the culvert and only her feet were sticking out, covering them with a little bit of greenery should have been not too hard. (It's terrible to write this. Poor Cheryl!) I assume whoever did this, did it in the middle of the night when there was not much activity on the road.

This is pure speculation:
There was a report yesterday of someone already being questioned by LE, I don't know whether that's true cause we have not seen any confirmation in msm that I'm aware of. However, if it is true it must have been someone who was known to Cheryl and participated in the search, otherwise how would LE have gotten onto them so fast. I wonder whether this person got LE's attention because they were having some scratches on their face or arms/hands or something, in addition to acting in a slightly off manner.

Steelman, thanks again for the maps, it is very helpful!

 

[DatelineFan]

Was her husband home at 7 am when she realized she didn't have her ID badge? I'd have probably called my hubby if I was in that position and he was home. I'd say 'pretty please can you bring me my badge cuz my ride is waiting….' It would be quicker for him to bring it then it would be for her to return hime and then come back again.

Or at the very least I would call him and rant that I forgot it and was heading back home for it. Whenever one of us has a major glitch or a change of routine---we call or text one another about it. Kind of odd that she didn't call him that morning when everything was falling apart for her.

I don't think she could have called him because I don't think it happened. In my opinion, she wasn't alive to forget her badge. ;(

 

[Treelights]

I'm wondering whether something was put on top of her that would not raise eyebrows. Leaves, for example? Some branches? Also she could have pushed somewhat into the culvert and only her feet were sticking out, covering them with a little bit of greenery should have been not too hard. (It's terrible to write this. Poor Cheryl!) I assume whoever did this, did it in the middle of the night when there was not much activity on the road.

This is pure speculation:
There was a report yesterday of someone already being questioned by LE, I don't know whether that's true cause we have not seen any confirmation in msm that I'm aware of. However, if it is true it must have been someone who was known to Cheryl and participated in the search, otherwise how would LE have gotten onto them so fast. I wonder whether this person got LE's attention because they were having some scratches on their face or arms/hands or something, in addition to acting in a slightly off manner.

Steelman, thanks again for the maps, it is very helpful!

Maybe they already had their eye on someone, and now that Cheryl has been found, they needed to ask this person more questions perhaps? Early on in MSM they said the husband was the last to see her. As the investigation moved through the days, Pickard could not talk about when the last time Cheryl was seen. That was part of the investigation and he wasn't going to get in to that.
I am thinking they knew a lot more at that point that they did not want to indulge to the public.
IMOO.

 

[Treelights]

I don't think she could have called him because I don't think it happened. In my opinion, she wasn't alive to forget her badge. ;(

I think mentioning the badge in a text could be the perfect cover of why her badge was at the house. Her badge had to be at the house in order for the ruse to work, perhaps.
Then later,it would check out because the badge was at home.
Planting the car on the street to look like she was delayed and would take a bus, only to have "someone" take her, would be another cover. Unfortunately, I don't think that "someone" was a stranger.
I think whatever happened may have happened on a spur of the moment when it did happen, but then what is the perp to do?
The perp would know she car pools. So the perp would have to use her phone and text the coworker friend about the time she would be going to the car pool anyway. So I think that text had to be timed out in this way.
I think maybe the perp was near the car when that text was sent?
Maybe Cheryl was already in that culvert before the text was even sent?
That would make sense that the perp could hide her in the dark, so others wouldn't be aware?
These are all just thoughts and opinions.
Since not many facts have been released, then there are many ways to think how and when this occurred.
IMOO.

 

[PLT]

I don't get the culvert location. If this was a random act 1st why not just pick a more remote location and leave her there . If the person had her for a while or she knew the person.....same thing - why not go further out of the area since time was not am issue? I see intersections as a very risky place to get out and leave someone. At any given moment, a car from either direction could approach and slow down to see who is pulled over .

 

[ANZAC]

As far as the Hutch confirming she'd been found before LE, the protocol in WA is that the police can't confirm an identity until the medical examiner has confirmed the ID. Even with finding a body with ID, the ME's usually like to get them back to the shop to either get a dental or identification by family. So until the ME has done that step, they can't "confirm" it to the media. They however usually will say to the media "we found a body". What they will tell the family is "we found a body and we're very sorry to say we think it is *advertiser censored*". There have been plenty of times, especially with older bodies, that the police are wrong and the ME has to figure it out.

This is either going to be a suicide or a homicide. We don't know who sent the texts yet, they may not have been sent by her, but by her killer.

Biggest challenge for the investigators is the amount of rainfall we've had in the last few days, that will not help with any foreign DNA or trace evidence on the body.

I am surprised the husband hadn't been pleading to the public via the media for help finding her.